Together we Fall
by Fb-PHE13
Summary: They never thought that Ward would do this to them, yet here they were, sinking in the ocean in a metal box. Each passing minute equaled to less oxygen and their hope evaporating with each breath. Even facing death, neither of them were strong enough to say what was really on their hearts. *Prequel to Aftermath*


Fitz staggered as they began to move out of the Bus, his heart leaping into his throat. "Ward, please, don't do this!" He screamed, but it was too late, and the box fell out. Instinctively, he grabbed onto Simmons, shielding her with his body as they fell, hitting the ocean.

His side slammed into a corner of a shelf, and he gasped in pain, his grip slackening. Simmons gave a surprised squeak as she tumbled out of his arms, her head cracking against something else. She let out a grunt of pain before falling still; unmoving and now silent. "Jemma?" Fitz whispered, struggling to sit up, pressing his hands to his side which was shrieking in agony. Fear choked him, and Fitz thought for sure the blow killed his partner.

Finally, Simmons groaned and slowly sat up, obviously dazed from the hit as she rubbed her head. Fitz breathed out a sigh of relief, but air hissed from his lips as his side burned once more. Simmons's focus came back fully when she saw him clutching his side, and she immediately forgot about her head wound. "Are you injured?" Worry was heavy in her voice, but it could not hide the prick of fear.

In response, he pulled his hands away and stared in surprise. His hands were wet with blood, and he could feel it soaking his shirt and trickling down his skin.

Simmons crawled over to Fitz, taking off her jacket and pressing it to the gash, the blood soaking through and staining her hands. "Try to stay still, Leo," she whispered, struggling to fight back tears. "Hold on, it should stop."

Fitz wiped the blood off his hands and onto his pants before brushing tears out of Simmons's eyes, his mid struggling to grasp what just happened to them. "How could he do that to us?" He whispered. "I thought he was our friend."

Simmons shook her head sadly, still pressing her jacket to his wound. "Some people are just evil."

Fitz turned his head away, glancing out the window, watching as bubbles floated past. Hot tears leaked from his eyes as he wiped them away quickly. "He could've stopped it," he mumbled, looking away from the water. Fitz shook his head angrily, grabbing Simmons's attention away from his gash. "I should've saw it from the beginning. I should've known he was no good."

"Stop blaming yourself," she chided softly. "No one saw it coming. He tricked us all."

Silence engulfed the pair as Simmons continued to apply pressure to Fitz's wound. When he glanced back over to her, he was alarmed to see blood trickling from her scalp. "You're hurt," he whispered, struggling to sit up.

"I'll be fine," she replied, her voice growing taut. "Please stop moving, Leo. It's still bleeding."

Fitz took off his tie, bunching it up before gently pressing it to her head. "Let me help you," he murmured and Simmons gave him a small smile.

"Thanks," she murmured softly, feeling a wave of relief when she realized his bleeding was slowing down.

"Anytime," he replied, keeping the tie pressed to her head. He blinked, and using his free hand, reached into his pocket to pull out the quarter.

Simmons glanced at it with slight distain. "A quarter, Fitz?"

"Not just any quarter," he said, and understanding light in her gaze. Fitz clenched it in his hand, hoping it still worked despite it being crushed under his weight.

The bleeding finally stopped for both of them, and Simmons sat next to Fitz, neither of them speaking. They both knew they needed to conserve oxygen, but with the box still sinking, they felt desperate for words. Fitz watched as Simmons checked her scalp for any fresh blood, which there was none, and he opened his mouth slightly to say something but then closed it, changing his mind.

"Leo," she whispered, staring absently out the window. "Do you think we'll make it out of here?" She looked toward him, her brown eyes searching his face.

Fitz swallowed and looked away. "I don't know," he admitted. Suddenly, he reached out a hand and grabbed hers, not letting go, as if afraid he would lose her. Simmons leaned against him, gently squeezing his hand. "I'm so sorry, Jemma," he whispered, his voice cracking.

She sat up, facing him, her brow crinkled in concern. "Why are you apologizing? None of this is your fault."

Fitz refused to look up her. "I should've been paying more attention."

"Leo," Simmons murmured, cupping his chin and turning his head to hers. "Stop blaming yourself. Neither of us heard him coming."

He gazed at her, the troubled feeling disappearing. He felt the urge to tell her how he felt about her, but he was afraid. He was afraid she would be mad for not telling him sooner, but he was mainly afraid she would tell him she just didn't feel the same way.

Suddenly, the box hit something and it stopped sinking.

Simmons pulled away and headed over to the window, looking out. "We hit a shelf," she breathed, obviously relieved.

Grunting, Fitz carefully got to his feet, wincing in pain as he limped to her side. "Do you think we could open the door and swim to the surface?"

He had a feeling it wasn't a good idea, and Simmons's response confirmed it. "We can't. If we open the door, the water will rush in." She turned to face him, and Fitz realized she was struggling to hold it together. "You should be resting. If you're side opens up again…" She trailed off, and her shoulders trembled.

He wrapped his arms around her, ignoring his throbbing side, and gently rubbed her back as she broke down into his shoulder. "We'll be okay, Jemma," he murmured. "We're together." Carefully, he kissed her head, closing his eyes as he fought back his own tears. _At least you'll be okay_, he thought, determined to do anything to keep her alive. _You have so much to live for._

Simmons hugged him as well, both of them losing hope. The oxygen would only last for so long, and if the box slips off the shelf and starts sinking again, then it would only be a matter of time until the pressure starts to crush it.

Fitz prayed that the quarter tracker still worked, and that the team would find them soon. He realized, even if the team found their location, they wouldn't be able to pull them out of the water. "Jemma," he said, lifting her chin so he could look her in the face. "We have to get to the surface. If the team is up there, they can't get to us down here."

"Leo, if we open that door, we could drown!" Simmons cried. "Our blood could attract predators and if we made it to the surface we –"

Fitz cut her off by saying, "If we stand to the side the water won't rush at us directly. We have a chance to get out, Simmons." She studied him nervously, and he realized how weary she was. Gently, he caressed her cheek, eyes soft. "We have to try, Jemma," he murmured as she reached up and held his hand in place, a few stray tears running down her face. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Leo," she whispered. "I just don't know if I trust myself."

Fitz pushed back a lock of hair behind her ear and assured, "I trust you." Simmons smiled softly and took a deep breath, steeling herself.

"I'm ready," she said, and Fitz gripped her hand tightly after taking it off of her cheek, getting ready to open the door. Glancing back to her, she gave a small nod, and he took a deep breath, opening the door.

Water flooded inside, and Fitz shielded Simmons from the worst of it. The salty liquid pounded against the sides of the box, and lapped at their bodies. He knew better than to go to the door and try to escape now, but the panic that was rising in his chest muddled his common sense. However, when he felt Simmons squeeze his hand, he found he could focus clearly.

As the water filled up the box and they took in one last gulp of air, they were finally submerged in the ocean. Blood stained the water as it washed from their bodies, and Fitz held back a cry of pain, the salt water stinging his gash. He prayed the team was waiting for them at the surface.

He swam out, holding onto Simmons. However, once he started kicking, his side started to burn even worse. Flinching, he started to sink back down until Simmons yanked on his arm. Ignoring the agony, Fitz gritted his teeth and swam toward the surface, struggling not to panic as his lungs screamed for air. Excitement filled his heart as he saw the sun glittering the top, and he held onto Simmons as they kept swimming.

Simmons also continued to hold onto him, not daring to let go. Neither of them noticed that his wound was bleeding again once more.

Finally, they broke the surface and gasped for air. Fitz turned and looked at Simmons, grinning as he started to laugh in relief. She grinned back and threw her arms around his neck. He held her close, fighting back tears of joy. "We made!"

"We did indeed," she agreed and pulled away. For a moment, they stared at each other, still grinning. They were alive. As Fitz continued to stare at her, he couldn't help it as his heart leapt in his throat. _You're beautiful_, he thought, the words unable to leave his lips.

Ripping his gaze away, he spotted a boat in the distance. "Help!" He shouted, waving his arms.

"We're over here!" Simmons yelled, waving her arms as well.

They got the attention of the people on board the boat, and it headed toward them. "You're okay!" Skye cried as May and Coulson lowered down the ladder.

Fitz helped Simmons to the boat and let her go up first. Skye hauled her aboard and Fitz struggled up the ladder, wincing as his side screamed in pain. Coulson helped him aboard, and May threw a towel around his shoulders.

Relief and joy washed over him and he started to cry, a bark of laughter escaping his lips. Smiling, he leaned against the side of the boat and sat down. Simmons sat down next to him, crying in joyous relief as she hugged the towel around her tighter.

As Skye fussed over both of them, no one noticed Simmons grab Fitz's hand and hold it all the way back to land.

**I saw the finale, and I know this isn't close to how they escape canon wise, but this is what I thought before the finale came out. Now, I failed to mention how far they sank, but I'd say it was much less than 90 feet. And I kinda forgot about Fitz's arm... eheh, sorry about that. I know this probably doesn't do justice to what they really went through, but whatever. Obviously, they did their research for the show and I didn't. **


End file.
